The gay-icon status of the supernatural creature from The Babadook is being celebrated with a new Pride Month-themed Blu-ray release of the Australian horror film.
In the years since the 2014 release of The Babadook, its terrifying, top hat-wearing villain has been embraced by the gay community and spawned many LGBTQ-related memes; social media star Miles Jai even walked the red carpet of the 2017 RuPaul’s Drag Race race finale dressed as the character. Earlier this year, Babadook writer-director Jennifer Kent expressed her delight at this unlikely turn of events, telling Bloody Disgusting, “Of course, I love that story. I think it’s crazy and just kept him alive. I thought, ‘Ah, you bastard.’ He doesn’t want to die, so he’s finding ways to become relevant.”
On Monday, Shout Factory announced that it has partnered with IFC Midnight to release a limited-edition Blu-ray of the film with Pride-themed packaging. “Thanks to the unpredictable world of social media, viral videos, and passionate fans, the Babadook became an unexpected and embraced LGBTQ mascot in 2017 and even carried over into last year as well,” the product page reads. “This year, we fling the closet doors open even further to cement his status!”
Shout Factory is also offering a two-week “Shout Proud” sale of films, including Blu-ray releases of To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar and Can’t Stop the Music. The company will donate a percentage of all Blu-ray/DVD sales during the month of June to the Los Angeles LGBT Center, a long-standing non-profit organization that provides services locally and across the country.
Kent’s new film The Nightingale hits theaters Aug. 2. Check out the new Babadook Blu-ray packaging below.
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